Australian GP: 'Spectacular' Lando Norris win and Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari debut assessed by Martin Brundle

17 March 2025, 04:31 | Updated: 17 March 2025, 11:38

That was a wonderful and reassuring start to the 2025 F1 season. We've had great expectations for a competitive and engaging season, giving it plenty of hype in advance, and it appears we are not going to be disappointed.

Lando Norris and McLaren had a truly outstanding event all round. In qualifying both he and team-mate Oscar Piastri had fluffed the first run in the top-ten shootout final stage, but then both delivered spectacular laps under pressure in the final seconds to lock out the front row, with Norris edging pole position. Despite the challenges and chaos to follow on race day, that eight-metre head start on the grid would be pivotal for Lando.

Race day was long scheduled to be wet, but the volume of water expected was inconsistent among teams. The coastal location doesn't help, and heavy rain and gusty conditions disrupted the supporting races and ensured a wet track to start the Grand Prix.

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